In the 2nd round the Warriors selected Richard Hendrix with the 49th pick out of another SEC School Alabama
The day for the Warriors can be summed as the following: No one expected the unexpected. (By the way wasn't that 8Ball, MJD, Puffy, and Mase track classic?) Here's 14 thoughts about the day:
1. Mullin and the draft: Have to give Mullin credit here. Unlike the Mullin of 2004 where he would have picked Kosta Koufas or de andre Jordan he choose the best player available which was Randolph. Already experts like Chad Ford and some basketball blogs have blasted the pick. I say blasphemy. Yes, he’s just as frail and skinny as B-Wright, but he has more handles and is a bit more explosive. There’s really no argument for redundancy because last time I checked, we had about 5 or 6 guys under contract. Randolph was hands down the BPA
2. Randolph and Nellie: Don't think for a second that Anthony Randolphs W life is going to be easy next year as a rookie playing for Coach Don Nelson. Nellie is notoriously tough on rookies and even tougher on first year big men (see Webber, Chris and O'Bryant, Patrick). Randolph is a fabulous prospect, but do you really think Nellie has all that much patience right now to spend developing a power forward?
3. Next year .
My biggest worry with the Randolph pick is weight. Randolph is still notoriously skinny and in fact the first and only time I will agree with Stephen A smith on somethig was when he asked Randolph when he plans to bulk up. On the other hand He’ll be able to get away with being a twig playing the 3 spot. He may be skinny, but he already has skills as seen by the fact he can bench 220.
4. Al Harrington Better not get too comfortable. Even though the Varejao deal didn't materialise the Warriors will have seven players at the 3 and 4 spots (Jackson, Harrington, Wright, Randolph, Azubuike, Barnes, Hendrix). That’s probably one too many, even assuming Randolph and Hendrix are brought along slowly. The most likely to leave look like Harrington and Wright . Harrington, however, is a player that can contribute to an NBA team now but has likely outlived his role on the Warriors. The question is with a roster full of frontline players what does mullin do
5. Use the TPE I love how all the pro Richardson trade people used this as a pro when the deal went down. Sadly Mullin ignored this come draft day If Mullin and Cohan don’t find a way to use the TPE — even just a few million of it — to improve the team, it’ll be hard to call this draft weekend a succes
6. Memphis not interested in Ellis With the grizzlies getting OJ Mayo it appears for sure Monta will be a Warrior next season. Philly are apparently considerably over the cap but the Warriors may no longer be facing competition for the services of their star guard. The absence of a true offer-sheet threat may knock as much as a million or so off Monta’s deal per year. That’s extra money under the luxury tax threshold for Cohan and Mullin to spend with the trade exception
7. Western Conference Race Portland and Seattle both improved dramatically. The Wolves gained two nice pieces in Love and Miller. Even the Clippers avoided messing things up too badly. The end picture is a grim one for the Warriors — four of their peers making a strong push for the playoff. The result means the Warriors have to make a big trade or something
Anthony Randolph mix
8. Hendrix Hendrix surprsingly fell further down especially for a guy who's earned comparassions to Boozer. Yet unlike Ike Diogu this guy has a better range of offensive diversity. After watching the Warriors flounder around at the end of last year, unable to score points other than off of pick-and-rolls by Andris, drives by Monta, and threes from everyone else, Hendrix will be a wonderful addition to our offensive diversity. When you factor in his reportedly solid rebounding and defense, there’s a lot to get excited about. Why did he draft to the second round? His height, like Ike’s, is obviously a concern plus he has lateral quickness issues but still an intriuging prospect
9. The fact remains that the Warriors were able to net a lottery pick and a sleeper late second rounder in a very loaded NBA Draft was a stroke of luck. That's both commendable and very impressive, not to mention extremely creative. Who knows how these 2 players will pan out in the end, but it does speak volumes about their talent level to be picked in those spots in this particular draft with Nellie's input.
10. Some tidbits from his scouting report he had an excellent junior season at Alabama, but NBA scouts have been skeptical in the past. They think Hendrix succeeds because of his strength. Once he gets to the NBA, he'll look much more average. Still, given the numbers he's put up at Alabama, you have to give him a look
11.
It's east see Randolph coming in as a backup replacement for Jackson, not starting with Wright and Biedrins. He’s a very different player than Wright; handles the ball, shoots, etc.
I see Mullin and Nelson increasingly at odds, which means it will take 2 years for this team to go far; i.e. after Nellie and small ball are put out to pasture. Unless Nellie has a revelation and changes. Spots on horses however rarely change. We’ll see.
Good move Mullie. I really appreciate what you have done in last 2-3 years.
12, Mullins full of it This is fantastic. Mullin has become a master of setting up smoke screens and manipulating the media to leave everyone confused. Again, excellent poker face. You gotta love a front office man who's ready to take a gamble and shock the world. I was worried that he was going to be another complacent GM a la Gary St. Jean when he didn't pull the trigger for a much-needed shakeup in that terrible 2005-2006 campaign, but things have completely turned around for the better with regard to his style of front office moves.
An early glimpse at the guy
13.I honestly don't think Mullin and Nellie are done dealing yet. If these moves were simply a precursor to a net a bigger fish- like some masala fried fish then count me in as a huge proponent of the Warriors' moves on draft day
14. Provided Anthony Randolph isn't a flat out bust, the Warriors set themselves up for a sparkling bright future 5 years from now. If Wright and Biedrins can both eat right and put on some weight, they could be a nice 4/5 tandem in the league for a decade. That's a big deal in a league that prizes good big men.
ErikNBA
Thoughts on both Picks?
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